“Quick-Quick Slow Death” Review

Relentlessly comical, any danger or jeopardy is squeezed out in favour of whimsy. From the opening (comical music as a man pushes a pram) through the ‘comically’ alcoholic band leader, the ‘comically’ throttled captain, to the dance routine, these is like (as Wodehouse would put it) a musical comedy without the songs. Yes, the plot is flimsy, and little effort has been made to disguise the fact it’s a rather unlikely scheme, but numerous Cathy Gale episode have taken an equally slight premiss and produced something far more compelling purely by taking it seriously.

The twist is very predictable, despite being hidden as a joke (and not very well hidden – why have a band leader with no band?)

The dance/fight is quite enjoyable and almost rescues it (“I neufed his soixante” – Steed’s innumerate French is funnier than the correct translation would be). But it does feel like we’ve hit a bit of a slack run where each episode is flawed in one way or another.